e-4645 (Business and trade)

Petition to the Government of Canada

• In 2020, as the pandemic wreaked havoc across society and the economy, several financial assistance programs were created, including CEBA. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were invited to apply;
• Nearly 900,000 SMEs benefited from this interest-free loan including a subsidy between $10,000 and $20,000;
• If repayments were made before the announced date, a portion of the loan was forgiven;
• As per article 1379 of the Civil Code of Quebec, “a contract of adhesion is a contract in which the essential stipulations were imposed or drawn up by one of the parties, on his behalf or upon his instructions, and were not negotiable,” as in CEBA;
• These 900,000 companies applied in good faith, and there have been reports of serious miscommunication between the parties involved, exacerbated by the fact that management of the program was assigned to an external organization, ACCENTURE; and
• Even if they repay the amount early, entitling them to the forgivable portion of the subsidy, some companies will not be able to receive the subsidy as stipulated in the CEBA contract, without a clearly explained valid reason.